Spike-puller.



No. 882,380. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

.J. B. GILLISL SPIKE FULLER.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.19, 1907.

Mir/20B GZ'Zlz's.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. GILLIS, OF EDEN, MARYLAND.

SPIKE-FULLER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. GILL'is, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eden, in the county of Somerset and State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spike-Pullers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a spike puller of that ty e that is provided with an adjustable heel or ilcrum for assisting in pulling spikes.

The invention hasfor one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, thoroughly reliable in use, and designed for the purpose of enabling spikes to be quickly and readily extracted by one man.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a spike puller comprising a bar having claws for engaging the spikes and a slidable member or heel operated by a lever secured to the bar so that after the spike is partially pulled in the usual manner, the member can be adjusted so as to serve as a fulcrum on which the bar is further depressed for completing the extraction of the spike.

WVith these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a erspective View of the spike puller with t 1e attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a crow bar or spike puller that has at one end claws 1 for engaging the heads of spikes to be extracted from the ties, the claws being curved outwardly so that the bar can be tilted on the curved portion or heel 2 when a spike is being extracted. The claw portion or shank 3 of the bar may be of noncircular cross section, as shown, while the handle portion 4 is preferably round. The shank 3 has longitudinal slots 5 in its side surfaces forming guideways in which extend the inwardly bent lugs 6 on the adjustable Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1907.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Serial No. 398,195.

heel or fulcrum B, the said heel being composed of two parts with abutting projections 7 depending from under the bar and the two parts of the member B are secured together by means of a bolt or other fastening 8. Fulcrumed on the handle portion 4: is an operating lever C having bifurcations 9 spanning the handle, and mounted thereon by the pivots 10 and extending from the operating lever to the adjustable member B are pitmen 11 whereby the member B can be adjusted back and forth, as occasion requires.

In practice, a spike to be pulled is engaged by the claws 1 in the usual manner and the bar A is depressed on the heel portion 2 thereof, thereby partially extracting the spike. The bar A is then raised on its lower or claw end so that the adjustable heel B can be moved toward the claw by pushing the lever C downwardly so that the member B will form the fulcrum on which the bar is depressed for completely extracting the spike. It will thus be seen that a spike can be quickly and easily removed and after its removal, the operating lever is returned to normal position so as to move the heel B out of the way for permitting another spike to be partially drawn, as before, and then fully drawn by using the heel B.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of a spike puller comprising a bar having claws, a fulcrum member mounted on and disposed under the bar adjacent the claws thereof, means for guiding the member to slide longitudinally of the bar, an operating lever connected with the bar, and a connection between the lever and member for sliding the latter back and forth.

2. The combination of a spike puller comprising a bar having claws, a fulcrum member made of two parts to be assembled on the bar for sliding movement longitudinally of gether, means on the' member engaging ingthe the latter, means for securing the parts together, and mechanism carried by the bar for actuating the member.

3. The combination of a bar having claws and also having longitudinal slots in its opposite surfaces, a fulcrum member provided with lugs bent into the slots for slidably mounting the member on the bar, an operating lever mounted on the bar, and a connection between the lever and member for actuating the latter.

,4. The combination of a bar having claws at one end and longitudinal slots, a two-part fulcrum member slidable on the bar, means for holding the two parts of the member. to-

slots for slidably supporting the member on 1 the bar, and means carried by the bar for actuating the member.

5. The combination of a bar having claws, a fulcrum element provided with members disposed at opposite sides of the bar, means for slidably connecting the members with the bar to permit of movement of the element longitudinally of the bar, a lever fulcrumed on the bar, and rods connected with the members and lever.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. GILLIS.

W itnesses LEWIS L. DRYDEN, W. A. PARSONS. 

